V Craig Jordan: pharmacologist and father of tamoxifen

bmj;386/aug01_1/q1670/FAF1faRobert Seale PhotographyV Craig Jordan, a pharmacologist, saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of women by transforming tamoxifen into a world renowned drug that became the gold standard for treating certain breast cancers.Jordan’s discoveries laid the foundation for tamoxifen both as a long term therapy to reduce the rate of breast cancer recurrence and the risk of the disease in women most likely to get it. His research led to the discovery of other selective oestrogen receptor modulators (SERMs), a new class of drugs, as well as the phenomenon of oestrogen induced apoptosis.Jordan’s pivotal role had its origins in his contacts in the UK and US. One of these was Arthur Walpole, head of the fertility programme at the UK’s ICI Pharmaceuticals, whom Jordan met in 1967 when working as an intern. Tamoxifen had failed as a “morning after pill” but Walpole recognised its potential for the treatment of…
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